Pick Only The Best Athletes And We'll Guess Your Favorite Sports Movie
- by Ursula Nizalowski
- – on
- in Movies and TV
While sports are fun to watch, whether it’s on TV or at a stadium of sorts, they are only as entertaining as the athletes themselves. After all, sports are a group activity where two teams compete against one another to score as many points as possible in order to win the game-in-question. Yet no matter what sport it is, some athletes within each team stand out more than others. Even if it’s a solitary sport like golf, every sport out there has its share of celebrity athletes who are popular for a variety of reasons though usually it boils down to their skills and good looks.
But there are some that become famous for notorious reasons, such as doing something controversial that grabs the media’s attention and affects their careers as athletes in a negative way. Though regardless of how a certain athlete got famous, the reason for their appeal is different for every person who likes them. In fact, one could argue that the individual reasons people like certain athletes more than others reflects their personal interests such as the kinds of movies they usually enjoy. So come pick your favorite athletes from this list and see which movie is everyone's favorite!
LeBron James
One of the most popular basketball players of all time, this player has won several awards including: four NBA Most Valuable Player ones, three NBA Finals MVP ones, two Olympic Gold Medals, three All-Star Game MVP ones, and an NBA score title.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Playing as a forward for the Real Madrid C.F. as well as being captain of Portugal’s national team, this Portuguese guy won several FIFA and Ballon d’Or awards along with the 2013-14 UEFA Best Player in Europe. He also scored a 400th senior career goal in 2014.
Tiger Woods
Considered to be one of the most successful and highest-paid athletes in recent history, this pro golfer got his start in 1996 when he was just 20 years old. Then the following year, he won the Masters tournament in just 12 strokes.
Alexander Ovechkin
A winger and captain for the Washington Capitals, this Russian has also been called “The Great Eight” or “Ovi” as he’s considered by many to be one of the best players in recent NHL history having won the Rocket Richard Trophy seven times for his high scores.
Rafael Nadal
Currently No. 1 in the Men’s Singles category in the ATP, this Spanish guy has won 17 Grand Slam titles and holds the record for two world tours. He also won the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal in singles as well.
Michael Phelps
In the entire history of the Olympics, this man is the only athlete who’s won 14 gold medals in total particularly in the Swimming category. For this reason, he is currently the holder of about 39 world records in total.
Kevin Durant
After playing for nine seasons with Oklahoma City Thunder, this player switched to the Golden State Warriors in 2016 winning championships with them in the following two years. He also won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award and several others.
Tom Brady
A quarterback for the New England Patriots, this guy made a Super Bowl record during a match against the Atlanta Falcons when he threw the ball 466 yards and led his team to victory finishing out the season with the highest PFF grade.
Clayton Kershaw
Starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, this guy has gotten into the top three of several major league rankings due to the number of wins he’s accumulated because of his ability at being unbelievably consistent and accurate with his pitches.
Michael Jordan
It’s hard to talk about basketball without mentioning this guy, who played for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards during the 90s and early 2000s respectively. He’s not only considered one of NBA’s best defensive players, but he also popularized the NBA at the height of his career.
David Beckham
Having gotten his start at age 17 in 1992, this British man was the first to win league titles in four different countries having played for many teams in England America Spain and France. He’s also won 19 trophies within his 20-year career.
Phil Mickelson
Nicknamed “Lefty” for his left-handed swing, this guy has won a total of 43 events on the PGA Tour and is one 16 players to have won three out of four majors with the U. S. Open being the one exception.
Sidney Crosby
Being captain of the Pittsburg Penguins, this guy has won several trophies over the years including the Art Ross Trophy and the Stanley Cup. He was also the youngest to win both in NHL history and has been given two nicknames: “Sid the Kid” and “The Next One”.
Roger Federer
Following his debut in 1998, this Swiss player has won 20 Grand Slam titles in singles and was in the No. 1 spot on the ATP rankings for over 300 weeks. He’s also been named the ATP Player of the Year five times as well as ITF World Champion.
Sun Yang
Appearing on the 2017 Forbes China Celebrity list, this guy has won three gold medals in the Olympics and World Championships making him the first Chinese man to earn a gold medal in Swimming during the 2012 Olympics along with several other accomplishments.
Kobe Bryant
In his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, he’s won five NBA championships with them and not only holds the NBA record for most seasons with one particular team but is also the first guard to play for 20 years.
Mike Trout
Considered to be one of the best “Five-Tool Players” in recent history, meaning he excels at a number of skills from pitching to batting, this center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels has been voted second and first place as an All-Star and Most Valuable Player several times.
Shaquille O'Neal
Throughout his 19-year career as a basketball player, this guy served on six teams and has achieved the same level of fame as his contemporary Michael Jordan in terms of accolades and relevance in the entire history of the NBA.
Lionel Messi
Serving as a forward for the FC Barcelona in Spain and captain of Argentina’s national team, this Argentine guy won several awards including the 2009 Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the Year, the FIFA Ballon d’Or from 2010 to 2012, and the 2010-11 UEFA Best Player in Europe.
Rory McIlroy
After a successful amateur career, this Irishman went professor and won four Major Championships including the U.S. Open in 2011 while also being named RTÉ Sports Person of the Year twice. He was even ranked No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for 95 weeks.
Wayne Gretzky
Also known as “The Great One,” this Canadian was in four NHL teams for 20 seasons between the years 1979 and 1999. He’s also a leading scorer having gotten over 200 points in one season four times throughout his career.
James Harden
As a guard for the Houston Rockets, this guy has been leading in assists with the NBA league. He’s also been able to score a lot of points by way of jumps, layups, and getting to the foul line in any given court.
Neymar
Once a forward for the FC Barcelona, this Brazilian was recently switched to the Paris Saint-Germain club this past summer for $263 million dollars (or 222 million Euro) making him the most expensive player in the world to date.
Novak Djokovic
Currently ranked at No. 3 in Men’s Singles within the ATP rankings, this Serbian has done a lot of good in the world by being a UNICEF ambassador as well as running his own foundation which supports education projects for children.
Jordan Spieth
In the previous year, this US golfer won The Open Championship at 23 years old which has tallied up the number of wins he’s had in majors to three (though there are four in total) making him an impressive player.
Usain Bolt
Ranked as the fastest man alive, this Jamaican has won the gold medal in Sprinting nine times including at the recent Olympics in Rio. He also won the 100-meter competition at the IAAF World Challenge meeting, despite running a little slower than usual.
Stephen Curry
A member of the Golden State Warriors, this player has been considered by many to be one of the best shooters in NBA history. He led the Warriors to break the record for most wins during a season and led them to the NBA Finals from 2017-18.
Dustin Johnson
One of the top-ranked players on the PGA Tour, this guy has won multiple tournaments while placing second or third in others. What also makes him stand out is that while competing in fewer events, he’s still in the Top 10.
Aaron Rodgers
Compared to other players in his position, this quarterback for the Green Bay Packers has made a series of impressive victories despite all odds including six wins in the 2016 season allowing his team to win the NFC North Division conference.
Connor McDavid
Center for the Edmonton Oilers, he became the youngest captain in the NHL league at 19 years old. Then in 2016, he won the Art Ross Trophy for scoring more points than any other player and MVP for getting 30 goals and 70 assists in one year.
Russell Westbrook
During the first season, he was assigned as point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder. This guy made several triple-doubles on average the entire time including 31 points along with ten rebounds and assists each game from 2016-17.
Aaron Donald
A defensive tackler for the Los Angeles Rams, he was credited with 82 pressures during a previous season which is the third-highest in the NFL. He was also a highly graded player on the Pro Football Focus website for two years.
Max Scherzer
After joining the Washington Nationals, this pitcher has maintained a no-hitter record into the sixth inning of each game he plays with his starts being which are usually at least 13 percent in range making him reliable as a result.
Khalil Mack
Once a defensive end for the Oakland Raiders, this linebacker for the Chicago Bears holds the NCAA record for not only forced fumbles but is also tied for career tackles as well. He’s also now the highest paid defensive player following his contract with the Bears.
Kawhi Leonard
Having won Defensive Player of the Year twice and being an MVP candidate, this forward for the San Antonio Spurs helped the team win during the 2016-17 campaign by scoring 25 points during each game and doing 13.6 win shares as well.
